Former South Africa skipper and player and former Royal Challengers Bangalore player, AB de Villiers has recently given his first impression of Virat Kohli.
When de Villiers joined the RCB camp back in 2011, he thought that the former RCB skipper was a bit ‘cocky and arrogant.’
He has even stated that Kohli had a barrier around him when he first met him.
But, once that barrier went down, both of them got to know each other very well.
Over the years, Kohli and de Villiers have been involved in many partnerships for their franchise.
Additionally, they were not only good friends on the field but off the field as well.
Now, de Villiers while giving an interview to Chris Gayle says,
Oh my goodness…I have had this question before and I had given this answer before as well. I think he was quite cocky and arrogant when I met him the first time. With that hairstyle and he had a bit of a strut going…yes flamboyant, absolutely.
Adding further, he says,
But the minute I got to know him a bit better and watched him play I mean I’ve got as much respect for him but I got to know him better as a human being. I think he had a barrier around him when I met him the first time and that barrier opened up and I got to know the person. I didn’t like him but you know what I’m saying. He’s a top person now but the first impression was ufff…he’s got to come down to earth a bit.
de Villiers and Chris Gayle get inducted into RCB’s ‘Hall of Fame’
Meanwhile, RCB has recently inducted both de Villiers and Chris Gayle into their Hall of Fame for their valuable services.
de Villiers joined RCB back in 2011 and played with them till 2021 when he announced his retirement from international cricket.
On the other hand, Gayle played for the franchise from 2011-2017 before he moved to Punjab Kings in 2018.
Moreover, both these players have various records under their belt in this tournament. de Villiers is the sixth-highest run-scorer in the IPL with 5162 runs from 184 games with an average of 39.70 and a strike rate of 151.68.
In the upcoming edition of the IPL, Royal Challengers Bangalore will open their campaign against the Mumbai Indians on the 2nd of April at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru.
Follow Crickdom on Twitter for more.
